Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-19-20

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Application for Acceptance of the Biomethane Purchase Agreements
between FortisBC Energy Inc. and Tidal Energy Marketing Inc.

BEFORE:

R.I. Mason, Commissioner

W.M. Everett, QC, Commissioner

R.D. Revel, Commissioner

on February 12, 2020

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On June 3, 2019, FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), on a confidential basis, an application for acceptance of two Biomethane Purchase Agreements (BPA) between FEI and Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. (Tidal Energy) pursuant to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) (Application);

B.      On July 18, 2019, the BCUC issued a letter requesting FEI to file a non-confidential redacted version of the Application and the BPAs, pursuant to section 18.01(b) of the BCUC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure to allow for a public hearing process;

C.      On August 8, 2019, FEI filed a non-confidential redacted version of the Application and the BPAs, requesting that commercial information regarding the upstream parties not directly contracting with FEI, the exact address, acquisition price, termination payments, volumes and carbon intensity be held confidential due to their commercially sensitive nature;

D.      By Order G-239-19 dated September 6, 2019, the BCUC established a written hearing process and regulatory timetable to review the Application. The timetable included intervener registration, one round of information requests (IR), submissions on further process, written final arguments and written reply arguments;

E.       By November 8, 2019, the BCUC received submissions on further process from FEI, the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA), the BC Old Age Pensioners’ Organization et al. (BCOAPO) and the Commercial Energy Consumers Association of British Columbia (CEC), all recommending to proceed to final arguments;

F.       By Order G-283-19 dated November 15, 2019, the BCUC established a further regulatory timetable for the review of the Application, which included final and reply arguments;

G.     By December 11, 2019, the BCUC received final argument submissions from BCSEA, BCOAPO and the CEC and a reply argument submission from FEI;

H.      On January 16, 2020, the BCUC reopened the evidentiary record and issued one round of Panel IRs;

I.        On February 4, 2020, the BCUC received FEI’s responses to Panel IRs; and

J.        The BCUC has considered the evidence filed to date and finds that a further regulatory timetable for the review of the Application is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders that a further regulatory timetable is established, as set out in Appendix A to this order.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this             12^th             day of February 2020.

BY ORDER

Original signed by:

R. I. Mason

Commissioner

Attachment

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Application for Acceptance of the Biomethane Purchase Agreements between FortisBC Energy Inc.
and Tidal Energy Marketing Inc.

*Location:           Allwest Reporting

12th Floor, 1125 Howe Street

Vancouver, BC